Thursday, October 11, 2007

Small Town Gay Rights: Fighting for LGBT Equality Where You Live

Eudora Welty Library - 6pm - Free

The ACLU will discuss basic steps you can take to advance LGBT equality in your local town or city. Speakers will include ACLU attorney Christine Sun who works exclusively on LGBT rights issues in the south, and Brent Cox of the ACLU of Mississippi. No matter where in the south you live, you can make your town better for LGBT citizens. From getting a human rights resolution passed by your city council, to helping high-school students start a Gay/Straight Alliance club, you can be the catalyst for change.

For more information, please contact Brent Cox at (601) 502-5520, or bcox@msaclu.org.

Get All Your Ducks In A Row: An LGBTQ Estate Planning Workshop

Eudora Welty Library - 7pm - Free

The workshop presents difficult and complex legal concepts, terms and issues in an easy-to-understand format. Using visual aids, props and skits, our estate planning workshop is interesting, dynamic and fun. Participants come away from this workshop with the information they need to begin a plan to protect themselves, their partner and children. Each workshop participant will receive free advance directives for their home state.

Topics Covered in the Workshop:

• Estate Planning Basics -- Protecting Rights
• Cast of Characters (skit defining legal terms)
• Trusts and Wills -- why we need them
• The Problem with Probate
• Protecting Property
• Advance Directives
• Planning for and Protecting Children
• How you can make Equality happen

Presented by Rainbow Law. Rainbow Law is Carrie Ross-Stone, J.D., & Elisia Ross-Stone, R.N., lesbian partners and founders of Rainbow Law Corporation, an LGBTQ advocacy, information and education service. Rainbow Law has been providing legal protections and Estate Planning information to and for the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual and questioning) community since 1993.

In addition to Rainbow Law, they publish an online, progressive LGBTQ newsletter, http://www.RainbowZine.com.